Well, my OW course was ok.. it was enough to get me in the water while understanding what was happening... but it was my PADI AOW that really disappointed me. I went through an Auckland company with some mates - only because it was their LDS... but it was after completing the course that I was made aware of how much I didn't learn (or didn't take in).. I found this through a general conversation (that led onto training) with *my* LDS owner.

Now - blame for my lacking of knowledge at the end of the AOW can be attributed to me directly as I probably didn't put enough effort into linking the theory to the practicle aspect, however... the instructor didn't bother to challenge me (or us in general) about what we learnt, answers were read out and ticked off with no other discussion, there was no post-dive brief done to discuss things like narcosis and the warning signs that went with it... all in all it was more of a chore that anything...

GoatFish wrote: the instructor didn't bother to challenge me (or us in general) about what we learnt, answers were read out and ticked off with no other discussion, there was no post-dive brief done to discuss things like narcosis and the warning signs that went with it... all in all it was more of a chore that anything...

@ Andy - it was a big shame... needless to say I have moved on to another instructor who ensures that every car ride to the wharf/ramp includes a detailed dive plan and discussion about what we're trying to learn and how to be aware of things (very much so with narcosis on my deep dives)...